Minneapolis moves toward big expansion of car sharing in the city

The City of Minneapolis is moving forward with plans to greatly expand car sharing in the city. Today, the City Council authorized staff to negotiate terms with a company to start a two-year car sharing pilot program that uses on-street parking spaces. The company selected to implement the pilot program is Car2Go, and the pilot may be expanded to include other car-sharing companies. City staff will make recommendations on additional companies in June.

Car sharing reduces the need for people in the city to own their own cars. The shared cars are parked throughout the city, and members can reserve one whenever they need to. In general, vehicles can be rented by the hour or day, and the rates usually cover all vehicle expenses, including maintenance, fuel, insurance and parking fees.

There is no City funding in this expansion of car sharing options, however, through the pilot, the City will allow car sharing companies to use on-street parking spaces for the first time, making it more convenient for users to get a car when they need it.

As a next step, the City will negotiate an agreement with Car2Go and consider arrangements with other companies as well. The City Council will then take action on approving any final agreements.